Fitness: From the ACA to the chicken

Sometimes it's a question -- "Do you know a good nutritionist in Sarasota?" has been popular lately -- but mostly, what you share is so interesting, so smart, I can weave it into an entire column. Today is one of those happy occasions:

"Thank you so much for writing this!" said A.K. in a recent email, cheering on my ongoing support for the Affordable Care Act.

She's weary of people telling her "how horrible Obamacare is, when really it is a giant step forward." Her story continues:

"I have lupus and got dropped by my parents' insurance after turning 26. Now I have Obamacare, and I'm so thankful for it. Specialized medications I used to have to pay hundreds of dollars for, I now am able to get for a mere $5."

A.K. ended up going to a well-known Ayurvedic doctor for her lupus -- Dr. Vasant Lad, based in Albuquerque, N.M., discovered by her mother -- and that made a huge difference in her recovery.

"He is the reason I was able to get healthy after having been hospitalized for weeks at a time for my illness. ... When I saw him, I was too weak to take on a full detox program, which he would normally recommend for people with issues like mine. So he ended up giving me herbs and a very simple diet to follow consisting mainly of dal (lentils) and nonacidic foods.

"I no longer adhere to it because I'm better, but it really did help me when I was sick. He also gave me some yoga asanas and breathing exercises to do daily."

A.K. looks forward to the day when health insurance covers complementary medicine -- me, too! -- and closes by thanking me for "spreading the word about how health care needs to change in America."

C.R., on the other hand, wishes I would shut up. "I've always enjoyed reading your column but PLEASE refrain from your political comments," she writes. "Stick to what you know best ... helping Americans get healthier."

Medical care can't be separated from politics. If you want to maximize your health and minimize your drugs, surgeries and unnecessary tests, you have to be informed. And that's why I write about the places where politics and personal health choices intersect.

So C.R., please don't expect me to refrain from politics any time soon, and I won't expect you to start watching Rachel Maddow.

My column about chickens also ruffled a lot of feathers. B.E. was shocked at the news that the U.S. government is now allowing chickens to be processed in China and returned to the U.S. for consumption, with no need to disclose that on the label.

"That was enlightening ... we were appalled!" wrote B.E. "No more chicken for us."

Then she asked: "Does this apply to all chicken, even ORGANIC?"

My answer: I think it's safe to say that no organic chicken farmers would send their darlings to China to be processed. Nonorganic -- chickens from factory farms -- are kept in sickening conditions, live in stress, and pumped up with antibiotics and chemicals to keep them alive. When you eat a sick chicken, all that toxicity flows to you.

So if you decide to go back to chicken, B.E., buy organic or from a local farmer who raises happy, healthy, free-range chickens. Organic chickens can carry contamination -- it's happened -- but the risk is much lower.

And finally, on a more serious note, this letter from H.C., a self-described tennis nut:

"I don't agree with your attack on 'my true love,' Rafa," she writes.

What attack? After seeing the gorgeous and great Rafael Nadal play live at the U.S. Open this year, I couldn't help but notice that he pulled his shorts out of the crack in his tush before every serve. As a truth-obsessed journalist, I felt obliged to report it. H.C. thought it was "in very bad taste."

"The reason his pants are tight is because he wants his pants tight," she explains.

Marilynn Preston is a fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com.

Marilynn Preston

Marilynn Preston is a fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent by email.

Last modified: April 8, 2014
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